Simply Better: Doing What Matters Most to Change the Odds for Student Success [Paperback]

Bryan Goodwin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 12, 2011 | ISBN-10: 1416612955 | ISBN-13: 978-1416612957

We already know what works in schools; we just need to focus on getting it right. This is the premise of Simply Better: Doing What Matters Most to Change the Odds for Student Success, which offers a practical, research-based framework for improving student achievement. According to author Bryan Goodwin, decades of research have shown time and again that focusing on the following five essential practices can vastly increase students' chances of doing well in school:
* Guaranteeing that instruction is challenging, engaging, and intentional
* Ensuring curricular pathways to success
* Providing whole-child student supports
* Creating high-performance school cultures
* Developing data-driven, high-reliability district systems

Whether at the district-, school-, or classroom-level, educators don't need to reinvent the wheel or pursue the latest trends to ensure that students succeed. This powerful book reveals what research clearly shows works best in schools, and provides a valuable blueprint for turning that knowledge into visible results.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Bryan Goodwin is Vice President of Communications and Marketing at Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL), a Denver-based nonprofit education research and development organization. For the past 13 years at McREL, he has been responsible for writing and editing numerous articles, reports, and research briefs, and serves as chief editor of the McREL magazine, Changing Schools. In 2009, he played a key role in McREL's 40-person effort to review and analyze hundreds of research reports on effective school and district practices into a series of eight in-depth reports, which Mr. Goodwin distilled into the report, Changing the Odds for Student Success: What Matters Most, which serves as the foundation for this book. In addition to his McREL publications, Mr. Goodwin writes a regular column on "what research says" for ASCD's Educational Leadership magazine and served as lead author of the book, The Future of Schooling: Educating America in 2020 (Solution Tree Press, 2010). Prior to his work at McREL, he taught high school in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, and worked as a newspaper reporter in the Virgin Islands and Pennsylvania. He has a Bachelor's degree in English-Professional Writing from Baylor University in Waco, Texas and a Master's degree in Rhetoric and Communications from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.

Product Details

• Paperback: 184 pages
• Publisher: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development (August 12, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416612955
• ISBN-13: 978-1416612957
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 7.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #222,824 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bryan Goodwin is Chief Operating Officer at McREL, a Denver-based nonprofit education research and development organization. A former teacher and award-winning journalist, he writes a monthly research column for Educational Leadership magazine and has published two books. He has a Bachelor's degree from Baylor University and a Master's from the University of Virginia. When not writing or working, he enjoys spending time with his wife and three daughters in the Colorado high country on skis, foot, or relaxing by a warm fire.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW! September 11, 2011

By Dr. Randall Watson

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I read two or three books a month about education, leadership, etc. This book is "simply" one of the best books on education I have ever read. Goodwin does a masterful job of describing the essence of having a high achieving school, mixing critical data sets with stories that illustrate the point. I found myself agreeing with almost everything said in this book, noting that most of the ideas in this book are part of our district's historic, C3 - Citizenship, College and Career initiative.

Bravo! This book should be required reading for every supt, principal and teacher leaders. It will make a difference in your schools.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book! October 9, 2011

By Busy

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I would strongly urge anyone involved with education to read this book! Goodwin breaks down the research and provides reasons to do what really matters by "distilling simplicity from complexity." It is easy to read and provides some fascinating examples of key principles that will help all students become successful learners. If you want to know what matters most or what matters best, then read this book.